Dr. Sabine Klauke Has Been Presented With the Aachen Engineering Award

Photo: Heike Lachmann

The prize is awarded jointly by RWTH and the City of Aachen with the support of the VDI. As Chief Technology Officer at Airbus, the engineer is particularly committed to climate protection and sustainability. Dr. Sabine Klauke (3rd from right) was congratulated by RWTH Rector Ulrich Rüdiger, Aachen's Lord Mayor Sibylle Keupen, NRW Minister for Science and Culture Ina Brandes, laudator Dorothea Oehm and VDI President Professor Lutz Eckstein.

In the end, Dr. Sabine Klauke made use of the old Aachen marketing slogan "bubbling diversity", to describe how varied her day had been. Dr. Klauke is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Airbus. She gave the keynote speech at the RWTH Graduation Celebration at lunchtime, and she was presented with the 2024 Aachen Engineering Award in the evening.

Between the graduation ceremony on the CHIO grounds and the award ceremony in the coronation chamber of the town hall, Sabine Klauke still found time to take an extended stroll through the city. For the engineer, this was also a "return to her roots", as she was born in the old imperial city of Aachen: "The fact that I am now being presented with the Engineering Award here in Aachen is an incredible honor for me." She was honored with the prize, which is awarded jointly by RWTH and the City of Aachen with the support of the Association of German Engineers (VDI), mainly for her services to sustainability and responsibility. Laudator Dorothea Oehm, a long-time companion of Klauke, said that a survey showed that the engineering profession makes people particularly happy. It became rapidly clear why it makes Klauke happy: because it gives her the ability to change and improve things. What’s important here is that she wishes to do this together with the general public. She said that in life, not everything can be explained using calculations and equations; rather, change competence means involving the public and convincing them that change is necessary. According to Dorothea Oehm, Sabine Klauke manages to do this thanks to her "alert mind and open heart".

Dr. Klauke says that "Taking responsibility, having an impact, and helping to shape the fourth revolution in aviation” is what really drives her. She learned early on how important it was to involve people in her work, to communicate, and thus broaden her own perspective. It goes without saying that she firmly believes that the big goals can only be achieved in diverse and interdisciplinary teams. The biggest goal, the so-called fourth revolution in aviation (after flying in general, safe flying, and the democratization of flying, i.e. "flying for all"), is to make flying climate-neutral by 2050. "We are developing solutions that will benefit our children," says the CTO of Europe's largest aerospace company. Before we arrive at zero emissions, we also need to concentrate on renewing fleets, making them lighter and better, as well as on utilizing more bio-fuels and synthetic fuels.

Dr. Sabine Klauke also used the stage at the Engineering Award to give some very personal insights into her career. She talked about a colleague who advised her to loosen up a bit and told her that she did not need to prove herself again and again. "Maybe it's a woman thing," Klauke speculated. Together with the company, she also considered how she could lead a family-friendly life in her position, because "the family team is what enables me to do the rest in the first place."

"This award is sending out a message again this evening," said Ina Brandes, Minister for Science and Culture of North Rhine-Westphalia. “More women in management positions require role models and Dr. Sabine Klauke is one of them,” said the Minister, who was a guest at the Engineering Award for the third time. "This is the only event to which I have been invited three times and that I have also attended three times," she said with a laugh. What’s more, the winners at the events she attended were all women, "maybe it's time for a token man," she said with a wink. VDI President Professor Lutz Eckstein added that Dr. Klauke is an inspiring role model for young people. "We all need innovations and clever minds who are committed to sustainability and climate protection," said Aachen's Lord Mayor Sibylle Keupen about the award winner. RWTH Rector Ulrich Rüdiger added: "By presenting this award, we honor personalities who stand for something; for courage and for responsibility."

Aside from being an excellent engineer, Dr. Sabine Klauke is also a passionate saxophone player. She will have been particularly pleased that the Eternum Saxophone Quartet, consisting of Mari Ángeles del Valle Casado (soprano saxophone), Eva Kotar (alto saxophone), Ajda Antolovič (tenor saxophone) and Filip Orlović (baritone saxophone), provided the musical portion of the event. Since science always includes experimentation, Eric Siemes came to the town hall as well. Air currents are hugely important for aviation. He used a leaf blower, a rubber ball, and a oven bag to illustrate in an entertaining and vivid way what they are all about.

The award has now been presented for the tenth time. The first award winner was Professor Berthold Leibinger, partner of TRUMPF GmbH + Co. KG, who died in 2018. He was followed by Professor Franz Pischinger, founder of the Aachen-based FEV GmbH; astronaut Thomas Reiter; Professor Manfred Weck, the long-time director at RWTH's Laboratory for Machine Tools WZL; Professor Emmanuelle Charpentier, microbiologist and co-inventor of the CRISPR-Cas9 gene scissors; entrepreneur Hans Peter Stihl, technology pioneer Sebastian Thrun, science journalist Mai Thi Nguyen-Kim, and last year, the former BASF CTO Dr. Melanie Maas-Brunner. "It's a huge honor for me to now be part of this illustrious group," said Dr. Sabine Klauke at the end of a long day. A day full of bubbling diversity.